Lunch Break, August 29: What Does An Undefeated Preseason Foreshadow?

While the records reset as we enter the regular season, the Vikings finishing undefeated in preseason is notable. Pioneer Press reporter Chris Tomasson notes that if history serves correct, the Vikings are in line to have a successful 2014 campaign:

The Vikings finished 4-0 in exhibitions Thursday night with a 19-3 win over Tennessee at LP Field. It marked the seventh undefeated preseason in Minnesota's 54-year history.

Five of the first six times, the Vikings went on to have a regular-season record of .500 or better. That includes going 4-0 and then 15-1 in 1998, 5-0 and then 12-2 in 1973, and 4-0 and 11-5 in 1992.

That 1992 team was coached by Dennis Green, the only first-year Minnesota coach to have an undefeated preseason until Mike Zimmer joined him Thursday.

"More than the record in the preseason, I feel good about the way we've performed," Zimmer said.

Let’s hope history repeats itself as the Mike Zimmer era begins at St. Louis on September 7.

Viking Update’s John Holler offers an in depth look at how the Vikings finished 4-0 and why not to brush it aside. Below is just a quick look at the Holler’s read-worthy piece:

In the opener, the defense was throwing a shutout until 1:25 remained in its 10-6 win over Oakland. In the second game, Teddy Bridgewater orchestrated a game-winning drive that gave the Vikings a 30-28 win with 18 seconds left in the game – a reversal of a familiar 2013 trend.

In the game viewed as the most important – Game 3 at Kansas City – the Vikings dominated the Chiefs 30-12 and, in the game in which no starters started, the Vikings had a nearly two-to-one time of possession edge.

Simply erasing the 4-0 preseason won’t be easy, because, by any measure, it was as successful as any in team history. Do the records count? No. Could they be an important building block for a new head coach and a much different assistant coaching staff? No doubt about it.

Holler goes on to list bullet points including a deeper look into stats, which is definitely worth a look by any Vikings fan.